Legacy
by Drafo
Summary: Nearly 3 decades have passed since Voldemort's downfall. Strange things begin to happen in magical communities all across the globe. How will a small group of close friends act in the midst of it all? The main seven books and Pottermore writings on North America are considered to have happened in this world. Cursed Child and the movies have not.
1. Chapter 1

25 years after the Battle of Hogwarts

Somewhere in upstate New York...

The cloaked figure glanced around and pulled its hood up further. Any normal person could never hope to see who was hiding under that heavy cloak, even if they cared enough to look. But Fen wasn't worried about normal people. After ensuring there was no one around, he continued walking along the rugged hiking trail. He heard a branch snap to his left and swiftly drew his wand, pointing at where he had heard the sound. A squirrel looked up at him, then scurried off deeper into the forest. Fen allowed himself a sigh, then stored his wand back inside his robes and continued walking.

After a while he came to a certain tree. I + 8 was carved into the bark, surrounded by a heart shape. Upon reaching this tree, Fen turned off the path and walked through the untamed forest to the right. Before long he came to a boulder. Fen drew his wand, calmly this time, and said "Wingardium Leviosa." The boulder began to float above the ground, revealing a normal wooden door beneath it. Not a trap door, as one might expect, but an actual door, of the kind one might walk through to go into a building, except there was no glass to see through.

Fen raised the boulder higher and higher until it was just a speck in the clear blue sky. Then he let the spell go and hurriedly opened the door to jump inside. As he went through the door, the world seemed to shift on a 90 degree angle, so rather than falling a long time and landing on his feet, Fen only fell just enough to get into the room, then landed on his back. He quickly got up and closed the door behind him just as the boulder was about to come crashing into the room.

After catching his breath, Fen looked around. It was more of a hall than a room, really. A long, dark, damp hall. If you squinted enough at the walls you could make out strange murals, most of which involved snakes of various types. There were also symbols, but every time Fen tried to examine one, his vision would get fuzzy and he'd rub his eyes. Opening them again, he found the symbol had been replaced by a different one; still indistinct, but different, without a doubt.

"62%" a voice said from behind Fen. Rather than looking behind him, Fen turned to look down the hall. He walked forward, no longer paying attention to the walls. Nor did he pay attention to the pillars placed every few yards along the hall, or even the live snakes that were wrapped around those pillars, hissing at him as he walked past.

Fen came to the end of the hall and dropped to one knee, bowing his head. "Master," he said in greeting.

"Hmph." It was the same voice that had been behind him at the entrance to the hall, but this time it came from the shadowy mist in front of him.

"You'll need to do better than that if you truly want to be my apprentice," the voice said.

Fen did not respond. There were a few moments of silence, then the voice began again.

"You were followed."

Fen's head shot up, and the voice's next words sounded amused with such a reaction.

"Did you think it would be that easy?" the voice chided. "Lara followed you all the way from Albany."

"Impossible," said Fen, though he sounded shocked and unconfident. "I checked several times. I dispelled all disillusionment charms in a 5 mile radius. I-"

"Forgot to account for Invisibility Cloaks," the voice interrupted. "Got distracted by a squirrel so you didn't notice a bush move against the wind. Had your hood up so high you couldn't see or hear the footsteps following you just 15 feet behind."

Fen swallowed and cursed himself inwardly for missing such obvious signs.

The voice paused, then asked, "Why are you dressed like that?"

"My identity..." Fen started uncertainly. As expected, the voice interrupted him again.

"Your identity can be hidden in far easier and less conspicuous ways than covering yourself head to toe in such suspicious clothing. Did you consider Polyjuice Potion? Or self-transfiguration? And your mannerisms! Anyone with half a brain could tell you were up to something. Being overly cautious is the bane of true stealth, more often than not. Had you the appearance of a regular No-Maj, out for a relaxing nature walk, you may have deceived even Lara."

Fen bit back his retort. Him? Disguise as a No-Maj? Disgusting. But the voice seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.

"A wolf in sheep's clothing will always eat better than a wolf that howls to announce his approach. Believe me," the voice's tone changed to be deadly serious, the words sending a chill down Fen's spine, "no one has more reason to hate them than I."

The voice then returned to its previous tone, which was not unlike that of a strict teacher chastising an underachieving student. "You must learn to curb your pride if you are to fulfill your ambitions. Oh yes," said the voice, as Fen twitched involuntarily, "I know what you wish to do. I welcome you to try. But first you must prove yourself. If you do not, you will be destroyed, regardless of your true potential. And, I confess, seeing you fail in such a way would... displease me."

Fen wasn't sure how to feel about that. _Does this mean he has more faith in me than he lets on?_ Fen thought. _No... this person does not put store in things as vague or unreliable as faith. He_ _ **knows**_ _I have potential. And if I've gotten him to recognize it..._

Again, it seems as though the voice knew exactly what he was thinking. "Hubris has been the downfall of greater wizards than you. Do you not recall what happened in Britain, less than 3 decades ago? My own descendant failed to curb his own pride, and as a result lost everything in the worst way possible. I will say this plainly. You are not as talented as he was." And just like that, Fen felt his hopeful thoughts deflate. "However," the voice continued, "if you can avoid his mistakes, you _will_ surpass him. Raw talent can only get one so far."

"There is a seer in Ontario who may be sympathetic to our cause. You will find them and bring them to Lara, be they willing or no. You will not allow them to die, and under no circumstances will you make your actions known to anyone besides myself, Lara, and the seer."

Fen knew he was being dismissed, and stood to leave. He paused with his hand on the doorknob. Without turning around, he said to the voice, "I found out who you are on my own. No one helped me with that." The voice did not respond.

Fen opened the door and stepped out onto the street. He saw a harbor ahead of him and smelled salt in the air. The door he had stepped out of belonged to a book store. Fen recognized it as the same bookstore where he had discovered his mentor's existence. Fen stood in front of it for a moment, then began walking down the Boston street in search of a No-Maj clothing store. _After all,_ he thought to himself, _the lessons of Salazar Slytherin should never be taken lightly._


	2. Chapter 2

The graduation ceremony was incredible. The graduates' robes were similar to the standard Ilvermorny uniform, but laced with silver that sparkled in the midday sunlight. Also, the crest was not that of their House, but of all the Houses, surrounding a large letter I.

Wolfric was standing near the bar at the after-party, a mug of fairymead in his hand and a broad smile on his face. Wolfric normally avoided alcohol, but after seven years of diligent studying, he decided he could cut loose, if just for tonight.

Holly sidled up to Wolfric with a playful grin. "My my, Mr Valedictorian, are you drinking _alcohol?_ " she said, feigning shock. Wolfric downed the last of his drink in reply.

"C'mon, dance with me," said Holly.

With that, the two made their way to the dance floor and started swaying to the music. Wolfric looked into Holly's eyes. It seemed to him that his own happiness was reflected in her face. After dancing for a while they went over to their table and sat down.

Wolfric felt someone clasp his shoulders from behind. "Hey Jason," he said without turning around.

"How'd you guess?" Jason asked, taking the seat next to him.

"I felt your palm lines." For a moment Jason looked stunned. Then Wolfric laughed and said "There's a mirror on the wall over there, duh." Jason saw that he was right.

"That's cheating," he said as Wolfric continued to chuckle.

"So's sneaking up on people," said May, who had just snuck up behind Jason.

Jason turned around and said "Et tu, Brute?"

"Have you even read that play?" asked May skeptically.

"That's from a play?" said Jason. The whole table laughed.

"Oh yeah, before I forget, I've got gifts for all of you," said Wolfric, waving his wand.

"You didn't have to-" started May as a duffle bag flew towards Wolfric.

"Yes I did. And don't think it's for free, either," he said, catching the bag deftly. "We're all going to stay in touch, no excuses. I designed these so they'd work even around a lot of magic," said Wolfric, pulling out three items that looked just like No-Maj smartphones.

May stared at them in awe. "How'd you get them to do that?"

"Elementary, my dear Watson," started Wolfric.

"My name's still Floyd, you know," she interrupted.

"For now," Jason muttered under his breath.

Wolfric's eyes darted to meet Jason's, just for a moment, then he continued. "I transfigured the... innards, for lack of a better word... so they would run on magic instead of electricity. I already tested them, so you don't have to worry."

"Dude, this is awesome," said Jason. He got up and hugged his friend, then May and Holly also joined in. This was a moment Wolfric would remember for the rest of his life. When they finally separated, Jason said "Now, um... how do I use it?"

May and Holly laughed while Wolfric started to teach Jason about the finer points of No-Maj technology.

"Are you gonna need help, too?" May asked Holly.

"Nah, my mom uses one for work. If I ever get stuck I'll text you, though."

"More like you'll ask Wolf," May said teasingly. Holly stuck her tongue out in response.


	3. Chapter 3

5 years later...

Wolfric crept through the undergrowth as silently as possible. He saw the antlers moving just a few feet off the ground. He saw an ear twitch and stopped moving immediately. After waiting a few moments with bated breath, he resumed his slow journey forwards. He was close enough now to see the whole creature. The silver fur of the jackalope shone in the morning sunlight which filtered down through the canopy of leaves above. Carefully drawing his wand, Wolfric prepared the spell. He took careful aim, then whispered " _Diffindo!_ " The jackalope's antlers fell off its head, leaving only small stubs.

The jackalope didn't seem to notice, even after they fell to the ground behind it. It continued chewing on the enchanted carrots Holly had left in the clearing. Wolfric sighed, then stood up and entered the clearing. Still, the jackalope remained oblivious. Wolfric leaned against a tree and waited for the creature to finish its meal. Once it did, it gave a cute little burp/hiccup, raised its head, turned around, blinked at Wolfric, then scurried off into the forest. Wolfric collected the antlers and made his way home.

Wolfric started pulling things out of his bag and placing them on the table in his workshop. After they were all out, he began the process of recording them on a sheet of paper off to the side.

"6 jackalope horns, 3 Clabbert horns, 4 Diricawl feathers, 2 Nogtail tails, and 5 Granian hairs," he read aloud as he wrote them down.

"Welcome home, sweetie," came a voice from behind Wolfric. Holly wrapped her arms around his middle, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Hey, honey," Wolfric responded.

Holly chuckled and said "You still snuck up on them, huh?"

"How'd you guess?" asked Wolfric.

"This wasn't here when you left this morning," she said, tickling a hole in his shirt on the right shoulder, "or this," she tickled another hole on his left side with her other hand, "or this," her right hand moved down to a tear in his pants on the right thigh.

"Alright, I get it," said Wolfric. "You don't have to take all the fun out of it, though."

"It's quicker this way, though, and that means you get home sooner," Holly replied.

"How'd you manage with the Clabberts? We didn't leave bait for them, did we?"

"Delayed sleeping potion. Fed it to some of the lizards, so when the Clabbert's ate them..."

"I still can't get over your delayed potions discovery," Wolfric said, turning around at last to face his wife.

Holly's eyes twinkled with something close to mischief. "Speaking of which..."

Holly took her husband's hand and led him into the living room. She picked up a letter from the table and handed it to Wolfric. As he read, Wolfric's mouth got wider and wider, until finally he embraced Holly in a huge hug, lifting her off the ground for a moment.

"Congratulations!" he said, his voice full of emotion.

Holly giggled and said "The ceremony's next month. It's in New York, so we could visit your parents if you want."

"Whatever you want, darling, it's your nomination."

"Let's invite Jason and May, it's been a while since we saw them in person."

"You got it."

It was difficult for Wolfric to focus on making wands that afternoon; he just couldn't get over how happy he was. The Kowalski Award was only given to witches or wizards that showed outstanding levels of innovation and provided something of grand significance to the magical community. True, Holly hadn't won yet, but the more Wolfric thought about it, the more sure he was that she would. Being able to delay the effects of potions would surely help with more than just obtaining ingredients for wand cores.

And what other discoveries had been made this year? There was that guy that made tracers that could snag onto Snitches, so if any got lost in a casual game of Quidditch they could be retrieved before getting unwanted No-Maj attention. There was the wizard who managed to make printers work with magic, which has certainly helped increase productivity in the magical world, though many people noticed the technique used was almost identical to Wolfric's smartphone design. Wolfric didn't mind all that much, but he would be pretty peeved if that got chosen over Holly's completely original potion design. Other than that Wolfric couldn't think of and potential competitors that would stand a real chance against Holly.

That night, Holly fell asleep in Wolfric's arms, her mouth curved in a wide smile. Wolfric couldn't help smiling, too, and after a while, he, too, fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

There was something off about this. Jason knew it, he could _feel_ it. There was something he was missing. Despite being so young, Jason had proven himself a capable Auror and detective, so he was put in charge of the investigation into Sally Tilbert's disappearance. The 18 year old witch was renowned as Mexico City's top duelist, and had even secured a spot on Mexico's national dueling team, when suddenly she seemed to vanish off the face of the Earth.

None of her friends or family knew where she was, or if they did, they were pretending they didn't. There was no evidence of a struggle in her apartment, even if someone had been foolish enough to break into the home of a duelist as skilled as her. She didn't leave notes, messages, or anything that might indicate where she went or why she went there. The only thing that stood out was that her apartment was in a No-Maj complex.

Despite the disappearance happening in Mexico, and despite the fact that Sally had been living in Mexico for the past year, she still wasn't technically a legal resident of Mexico City, and since she was on a visa there from the US, it fell to MACUSA to investigate. The Magical Government in Mexico claimed they were willing to cooperate, but hadn't exactly gone out of their way to help at all. One of Jason's subordinates even had to physically go to their headquarters in Guadalajara to get the information they had.

Jason sighed and looked over the Tilbert family tree again. All wizards and witches, with the exception of one or two squibs, right up to the mid-1800s. Her father's line went even further back, though exactly how far, Jason didn't know; he was still waiting on the British Ministry of Magic to send over his family's records.

After a long day of not much progress, Jason arrived home to the smell of roast duck coming from the kitchen. Despite his weariness, Jason couldn't help but smile. "Home!" he called, hanging up his cloak and putting down his briefcase.

"Welcome!" May called back. "Guess what's for dinner?"

Jason went into the kitchen. He stood there with his arms crossed, an eyebrow raised, and a grin on his face that portrayed what he was thinking: "seriously?" May saw him in the mirror above the sink and turned her head to look at him.

Jason walked up and kissed her. "Thanks, honey."

"Happy birthday, darling." The couple kissed a while longer, before May pushed Jason away playfully. "Now get out of here, the duck's almost done." Jason smiled and went to the fridge to get something to drink.

"Wolfric and Holly's gift got here today; the box is in the living room," said May as she prepared the steamed broccoli. Jason smiled and took a bottle of pumpkin juice out of the fridge.

"Those two have to chill out with the gifts. They keep getting better and better each year; sooner or later they'll run out of stuff!"

"I'd like to see them try and beat last year's gift," replied May. Jason patted the fridge in agreement. He still didn't quite understand why Wolfric insisted on being a wandmaker. He could make a fortune off of No-Maj inventions that work with magic. Last year it was the television, before that the microwave, before that the fridge, etc. etc.

After enjoying a wonderful dinner together, Jason and May went into the living room. Jason opened the envelope and read the card inside.

" _Happy Birthday, Jase! This gift should be the best one yet! It's the first of its kind, so if there are any problems give Wolf a call. Holly's got some big news, but first you need to enjoy your birthday. We'll tell you tomorrow!_

 _Love,_

 _Wolfric & Holly"_

Jason smiled at the card. He handed it to May and got to work opening the box.

"'Big news?'" she said. "What do you think that is? Could she be..."

"No, I don't think so. If she was pregnant it would've said 'We've got some big news,' not just Holly. It could have to do wi-" Jason stopped midsentence, having finally gotten the box open to reveal a sleek new laptop computer.

"No. Way." May stared at it, just as surprised as her husband.

"He didn't..." Jason knew about computers from May, but from her description they were insanely complicated, much moreso than a fridge or a microwave. Getting one to work with magic would be extremely difficult, not to mention time-consuming. Wolfric must've been working on this for at least a year.

Jason carefully took the computer out of the box and placed it on the table. May continued to gape at it, but Jason looked inside the box and, just as he expected, found the instruction manual, written in Wolfric's handwriting. All the functions of a normal computer, including office tools for documents, slideshows, spreadsheets, and more. The internet wouldn't be able to work yet, but Wolfric said he was working on that as well, and should have it done by Christmas. It shouldn't require a power cord (Jason had to ask May what that was), as it would simply absorb residual magic from their house. The camera and microphone were both fully functional...

"That's it!" Jason shouted.

"Huh? What? What's it?" May asked, perplexed.

"The cameras, the cameras!" Jason said. "No-Maj apartments have security cameras, right?"

"Yeah, usually, but what does that..." Jason silenced her with a hug and a kiss. He now had a potential lead on his case. If he could just get the footage from around the time Sally Tilbert disappeared...


	5. Chapter 5

Jason got into work even earlier than usual the next day. He was so early, in fact, that the only person at the Foreign Affairs Department was the Secretary himself. Jason knocked on the door.

"Come in!" came a voice from inside.

Jason opened the door and stepped into the office. The man behind the desk looked up. His eyes widened in mild surprise.

"Mr Secretary," Jason greeted him formally.

"Mr Watson, you're here early," Secretary Liu replied, "If you're here for that family history report from Britain, I'm afraid it's not here yet. I did tell you it was likely to take a week or two, did I not?"

"You did, Mr Secretary; I'm here about something else."

"Oh?" Cheng Liu eyed Jason more closely. It wasn't so long ago that Cheng had been an Auror in China, and he was still quite good at reading people. "You've got a lead on the case, I take it?"

Jason grinned. He didn't have to ask how Secretary Liu knew; the man's skill as an Auror was well-known. In fact, when Jason was studying famous Aurors in recent history as part of his own training, Cheng had become something of a celebrity to Jason.

"I believe so, Mr Secretary. If we could contact Mexico's government again, I'd like to ask them if the apartment complex had any surveillance cameras, and if so, if they could get the footage to us as soon as possible."

"Hmph," Secretary Liu started, "Knowing them, they'll probably just tell you to come out and get it yourself."

"If they do, please let them know that the large number of wands they ordered will likely take another month to get to them. Unless, of course, they could send someone to pick them up and drop off the footage at the same time," Jason said.

Secretary Liu looked surprised. "How did you know about that?"

"The one filling the order happens to be a friend of mine," Jason explained.

Secretary Liu chuckled and said "Very impressive. You'll go far in this line of work, Mr Watson. You can count on it."

Jason did his best to hide his elation at being praised by his hero. "Thank you, Mr Secretary. So you'll let them know, then?"

"I will, Mr Watson."

Jason's day was considerably better than the one before. After his talk with the Secretary, Jason discovered that one of Sally's teammates was currently on vacation in Florida. Jason took the Floo Network to Miami and quickly located the hotel she was staying at. He went in and asked the concierge about her. Before the concierge could even respond, however, a bubbly voice came from behind Jason.

"I'm right here, Marcus." Jason turned around and saw a young woman with vibrant red hair, sunglasses, a light dress over her bikini, a purse hanging off her wrist, and a towel draped across her shoulder.

"Ah, Miss Martinez, there you are," Jason replied without missing a beat. "Thanks, it seems I've found her," he said to the concierge before leading the woman outside the lobby.

"So... who are you, exactly?" Maria Martinez asked under her breath as they walked.

"Jason Watson. I'm in charge of the investigation into Sally Tilbert's disappearance."

"Oh," she said. Jason noticed her tone was disappointed, as if she was expecting something else.

"You don't seem all that concerned," Jason pointed out.

"Sally can take care of herself. Sometimes a little too much. Even in practice she'd throw around powerful curses like she was actually trying to hurt her opponent. One time she was practicing with Ricardo, and after she disarmed him she hit him with a Conjunctivitis Curse. She laughed at him for a good 2 minutes before finally lifting it. When we told our coach about it, Sally said she cast the two right after each other because she didn't expect the first one to hit. Which was complete BS, by the way. I saw her cast them; she definitely did it on purpose. But she's a rich Daddy's Girl, so what can we do?"

"What can you do indeed..." Jason replied.

Maria's eyes narrowed. "I had nothing to do with whatever happened to her. Besides, she always puts up an Intruder Charm wherever she's staying. Even if I wanted to... to kidnap her, or something... I couldn't. Ask anyone else on the team, they'll tell you she's the best. She probably just got tired of dueling competetively and ran off to have actual fights."

Jason looked over Maria. He wasn't as good as Cheng Liu, but he could tell she wasn't lying. Even so, Jason didn't want to take any risks.

"Okay, then. Sorry to bother you, Miss Martinez. Enjoy the rest of your vacation."

Maria was so surprised by the abrupt farewell that she didn't even notice when Jason's tracer flew into her purse. "Oh, uh, thanks. Goodbye,"

 _Thank goodness for Wolfric,_ Jason thought. Wolfric might not have made the tracers himself, but it was his design that allowed them to be made; of that Jason had no doubt.


	6. Chapter 6

The night of the Awards Ceremony seemed to arrive much faster than was normal. After gathering at Wolfric's parents' house in Long Island, Jason and May set off to Manhattan for the venue.

"You're sure you don't want us to come with you?" Holly asked her mother-in-law.

"No, no, sweetie, this is your big day. Don't worry, we'll catch up. You'd be surprised at how fast Hendrick can drive when he's in a hurry," she replied with a wink.

"I heard that!" called Wolfric's father from the other room. He walked in while still struggling with the tie around his neck. "I wouldn't be in a hurry half the time if you didn't take so long to get ready."

Mary walked up and started fixing his tie for him. She pecked him on the cheek and said "I'll make sure to be quick tonight."

"Ahem," Wolfric cleared his throat loudly.

"Go on, you two, we'll catch up. If we're not there by 5 assume I'm wrestling your mom into the car."

"Alright Dad, see you there," Wolfric said. Together he and Holly walked out the front door and turned on their heels, instantly apparating just outside the venue. From the outside it looked just like any of the countless subway entrances in Manhattan, except no one could be seen going in or out, partially due to the security tape running across it at the top of the steps, though mostly due to the enchantment that made No-Majes suddenly remember something important they had to do just after they start considering going down there.

Wolfric and Holly stood in the shadowy alleyway just to the side of the entrance. As Holly was looking around to make sure no one was watching, Wolfric tapped her on the head with his wand, and her body slowly turned transparent. After Holly had done the same to Wolfric, they both moved carefully towards the entrance, now watching more for fellow wizards or witched that had been Disillusioned than for curious No-Majes.

Wolfric instinctively tried to lift the security tape for Holly to duck under, but his hand passed right through it, as if it were nothing but air. Holly stifled a giggle and walked through the "tape" and down the stairs.

Once they both reached the bottom, Wolfric went for his wand to lift the Disillusionment Charms, but Holly grabbed his arm silently. At first Wolfric didn't understand. Then he saw the vague outline of her other hand pointing ahead of them. There he saw May pointing to something on Jason's phone as he held it up for her to see.

Wolfric immediately guessed his wife's intentions, and gave a quick nod. They quietly snuck up behind them.

"Sneaking up on people is cheating!" said Wolfric, Holly, and Jason all at the same time.

"Aw come on how'd you know?" Wolfric said, disappointed.

Jason grinned and held his phone even further up, and Wolfric saw his and Holly's outlines in the background of the picture Jason had just taken.

"Spoilsport," Holly pouted, waving her wand to lift the charms on herself and her husband.

The four friends walked into the enormous chamber together.

"Weren't we supposed to get our table number at some point?" Wolfric said.

"Man you're really not on the ball today," Jason laughed. He pointed at a table right up near the stage, with the words "Holly Koenig" in shining gold letters sparkling above it. The group took their seats and chatted to pass the time until the ceremony started.

Wolfric saw an elderly wizard who he recognized as David Kowalski, grandson of the man the award was named for, walking up the steps onto the stage. Wolfric checked his watch and saw it was already 5:00, time for the ceremony to start.

"Dammit, where are they?" he muttered under his breath. Wolfric felt a hand on his arm and looked up.

"It's okay, they'll get here," Holly whispered to him with a reassuring smile. Wolfric tried to relax. David began the opening speech, and Wolfric laughed at the jokes and applauded appropriately like everyone else.

But as time went on, Wolfric checked his watch more and more often. 30 minutes in, even Holly was beginning to look worried. Wolfric touched her shoulder and whispered that he was going to step out for a moment to give his parents a call. Out in the hallway, Wolfric kept one ear open in case Holly's name was called. The phone rang and rang before going to voicemail.

"The ceremony's started, where are you guys? Please get here quick, bye." Wolfric walked back in and sat down next to his wife, more than a little irritated, but unwilling to let his mood show and spoil Holly's moment. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and smiled broadly as the first nominee was announced.


	7. Chapter 7

"I still can't believe it!" Holly practically squealed with excitement.

"Everyone else can," May said as Jason chuckled.

The group was walking up the stairs back onto the streets of New York. Wolfric was still determined not to get angry, not yet anyway. His parents missed the entire award ceremony and still hadn't shown up. _What the heck could they be doing?_ But Wolfric wouldn't let that interrupt Holly's triumph.

The friends arrived at a large restaurant a few blocks away. Wolfric let the other three in first, then stood back a bit and dialed his dad's phone number again. This time, it went straight to voicemail, indicating the phone was off. Wolfric left a message letting them know the ceremony was over and they were at the restaurant, thens shoved his phone into his pocket. Taking a deep breath and letting go his anger, Wolfric stepped back towards the group just as they were called for their reservation. The host lead them up two flights of stairs to a table with a fantastic view of Time's Square.

After a wonderful dinner and more than a few glasses of wine, the friends made their way downstairs (with Wolfric catching Holly before she teetered and fell a couple times).

"I don't think I should be apparating right now," Holly giggled.

"Agreed," the other three said in unison. They all laughed as they left the restaurant.

"How do you want to get back then?" asked May.

"How about a taxi? I've always wondered what it was like to ride in one of those," suggested Holly. They all agreed and Wolfric waved one down. Jason took the shotgun seat with Holly, May, and Wolfric in the back.

They were almost there when Holly jumped a little in her seat and whispered urgently.

"Wait, don't we need No-Maj money for this?"

"Don't worry, I've got some," Wolfric assured her. The taxi pulled to a stop and Wolfric handed a wad of cash to the driver before pushing open the door.

Jason got out as well and immediately felt something was wrong. Nobody else seemed to notice it. Jason walked towards Wolfric's parents' house, gripping his wand tightly inside his coat pocket.

He arrived at the front door first and saw the first clear sign. A wooden plank was hanging from the door knocker with a strange symbol carved onto it. Jason recognized it immediately from his Auror training: the Dark Mark. Jason opened the unlocked door and charged into the house. Sprawled on the living room floor were the bloody corpses of Wolfric's parents.


	8. Chapter 8

Jason was stunned. So stunned that there were a good 3 seconds where he simply stood there, horrified. Then his Auror training kicked in. He scanned the room quickly and noticed a slight shuffle in the shadows.

" _Colloportus!_ " Jason shouted, pointing his wand at the door. It slammed shut as the other 3 were on their way up the walk. Then Jason turned to face the murderer, who was no longer hiding in the shadows. Most of his body was obscured by a long black robe, but Jason could just make out two violet eyes staring back at him, burning with hatred.

There was a pause when the whole world seemed to stand still. Jason only had one focus. The scum that killed his friend's parents. The two of them burst into action simultaneously, flashes of lights springing from both their wands. Jason ducked out of the way just as the spell slammed into the wall behind him. His opponent, on the other hand, had parried Jason's spell with his wand. He pivoted and slashed his wand at Jason again. Jason blocked it with his own wand and the two continued to duel.

 _He's powerful, but inexperienced,_ Jason thought. Whenever Jason shot a spell of his own, his foe blocked with his wand. He never dodged, and only moved to get a better shot at Jason. _I can use this._

Jason heard fists hammering on the front door, which was now behind his enemy's back. He needed to end this quickly. Jason dodged another blast from the villain's wand, then fired three jinxes off in rapid succession. While the cloaked figure blocked each with his wand, Jason rushed towards him. The assassin stumbled and Jason sent one final spell barreling into his chest. The fiend hurtled backwards, breaking the front door and falling on the ground at the feet of Wolfric, Holly, and May, all of whom had shocked expressions on their faces. Before they could react, the killer rolled to the side and leapt to his feet. He turned on his heel and with a sound like a gunshot vanished into the night.

"No!" shouted Jason.

"Jason, what-?" May started. She stopped when she saw the tears streaking down her husband's face. Jason forced himself to look Wolfric in the eyes.

"I'm so sorry."

Wolfric's eyes widened in fear, and he rushed into the house, with Holly just a second behind.


	9. Chapter 9

The crime sent shockwaves through the magical government. Jason caught many of his coworkers staring at him with looks of sympathy and concern. But he wasn't sad anymore. There had been enough tears at the funeral. Now was the time for anger. His rage helped keep him determined, helped him keep things in perspective. The murderer was still on the loose and anyone could be the next victim. Jason was afraid his boss would tell him to take some time off or, worse yet, work on something other than the case. Therefore, it was a little surprising when Jason was told he had been put in charge of the investigation.

After looking over the evidence multiple times, Jason was almost certain that the attack had nothing to do with the British wizard that had styled himself Lord Voldemort. For one thing, the Dark Mark was carved crudly onto a wooden plank outside the door, not, as was the custom for Voldemort's followers, shining brightly in the sky above the scene of the crime. Second, the British Ministry of Magic was certain that Voldemort had met his end decades ago, along with almost all of his most loyal followers.

Even so, Jason had sent a message to the British Ministry informing them of the situation and asking if they knew anything of importance. He had also asked for any and all information on anyone they knew of who had connections to Voldemort; particularly if any of them had decided to take a trip to New York recently. Jason expected this would be a dead end, though. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that this wasn't the work of a Death Eater. He suspected the Dark Mark was merely there to mislead them, though if it was, it wasn't a very good effort.

But there was something else bothering Jason about the whole thing. Wolfric's parents had been covered in their own blood when he found them. There was no question it was a magical attack, so why hadn't the killer simply used a Killing Curse? Why did it look like there were signs of a struggle? Could the Dark Wizard have been careless enough to set off an alarm? But if he had, that would be even more reason to use a Killing Curse; he'd have to finish things quickly before they could escape.

The blood, the mess, the Dark Mark, and finally, the fact that the murderer stayed to duel Jason, all pointed to one thing. This was meant to be seen. It was meant to be known. It was meant to get a reaction.

 _Well, they'll get a reaction, all right._ Jason thought grimly. _And I'll make_ certain _they get more than they bargained for._


	10. Chapter 10

Wolfric finished watching the video his parents had left him. The contents of it were... shocking, to say the least. It was recorded on an old VHS tape, yet the time-stamp in the footage said it was less than a year old. Could his parents have been expecting this? Wolfric shook his head. That was ridiculous. His parents were both No-Majes. Even if what they said in the video was true, and Wolfric thought it probably was, there couldn't be a way for them to tell the future.

Wolfric sighed and rubbed his forehead. Thinking about his parents this much should have made him cry, but he felt as if he was all out of tears. Jason had told Wolfric that he'd been put in charge of finding the killer himself. Wolfric knew Jason was an incredibly skilled Auror, so it was probably only a matter of time before the assassin was caught...

Wolfric's eyes sprung open. He grabbed the remote for the TV and rewound, this time paying close attention to the background. At the 5 minute mark he could just make out a piece of paper flutter at the corner, as if moved by a breeze. Wolfric fast forwarded to a part where his mother moved to get some hair out of her face. He paused it just before her hair settled back down. There, in the window behind them, barely visible between his mother's strands of hair, Wolfric saw it. A forked tongue slipping out of the bushes on the other side of the glass. And right above it, a pair of intelligent violet eyes.

A soft knock on the door made Wolfric jump. He turned off the TV before getting up to open it.

"Hi," said Holly. She was looking at him with eyes full of sympathy. Wolfric knew he wasn't the only one hurting, and he appreciated her selflessness. For a moment, Wolfric considered hiding the truth from her. He could leave on his own, recover his mother's... _his..._ heirloom, then come back. But the image of the forked tongue and the violet eyes flashed through his mind, and he knew she wouldn't be safe even if he left her behind.

"We have to go somewhere," he said. Holly looked at him questioningly. Wolfric turned back to the room and began throwing stuff into a bag, which was enchanted to accomodate far more things than would be natural, without adding very much weight. Wolfric continued to talk as he threw stuff in. "Jason-no, everyone-is in more danger than they realize. If we don't stop them..."

Holly looked at her husband, concerned. "What are you talking about?" she said gently.

"I'll explain on the way," he said.

"On the way where?"

Wolfric paused, then threw the whole VCR, with the tape still inside it, into the bag. The enemy probably already knew the contents, but they probably didn't know that _he_ knew. In any case, he couldn't let them get their hands on the tape.

Finally, Wolfric straightened up, swinging the bag onto his back, and answered Holly's question.

"Britain."


	11. Chapter 11

Jason sat in his office, poring over every record MACUSA had on the wizarding population of North America. At least, every record that listed eye color. So far, he hadn't found anyone with violet eyes. He told himself this was a good thing; the less people with such a descriptor, the less possible suspects, and therefore the less time it would take to find the culprit.

The records he was currently going over listed every student that attended Ilvermorny between the years 2000 and 2010. Just as Jason finished scanning through the graduating class of 2009, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Jason said.

Mark Terrance, the wizard who had taken over for Jason on the Sally Tilbert case, walked in. Jason raised an eyebrow. Mark looked... intimidated. He was only a year younger than Jason, and it wasn't like Jason outranked him, really. So why was he so nervous?

"How can I help you?" Jason asked.

"Those tapes you got from the Mexican apartment complex; there was something wrong with them."

Jason had to stop himself from sighing in exasperation. He'd looked at the tapes himself, and the only strange thing about them was Sally walking into her apartment in the evening, then never coming back out. But she could have left through the window, or used Floo powder, or even apparated out. It was a No-Maj apartment, after all, so unless she put one up herself, there was little chance of an Anti-Disapparition Jinx being in place.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked, trying to be polite.

"I think they've been meddled with," Mark said.

Jason looked up in surprise. He was expecting Mark to comment on her not coming out of the apartment, but to leap from that to someone meddling with the tapes...

"Why?" Jason asked, genuinely curious this time.

"In the last one with Sally Tilbert in it, a few minutes after she goes into her apartment, there's a moment where a plastic bag flies past the camera. I noticed the logo on the bag was for an American department store, one that doesn't have any locations in Mexico. Plus, the flag in the background shows that the wind should be going in the _opposite_ direction of the bag."

Jason couldn't help but be impressed. But then another question came to mind.

"Why are you telling me this? I'm not on that case anymore, remember?"

"Actually... I think you might be," Mark said. "I got some footage from the weeks before Sally disappeared, and there was a day when someone walked around the apartment complex without ever going through a door. He looked directly at the cameras on multiple occasions." Jason knew what Mark would say next. He cursed himself inwardly for not finding it out earlier. "He had violet eyes."


	12. Chapter 12

May was staring at her phone in shock. She read the message over again, but still couldn't glean anymore meaning from it than the first time. It was infuriatingly vague. For a moment May considered the possibility that it wasn't from Holly at all, and that someone else had sent it from her phone. But the wording, the style, the tone; it all indicated Holly. The only people who could possibly imitate her so well were her parents and Wolfric. Her parents had no reason to send something like this. In fact, May wasn't even sure Holly's parents knew how to use a cell phone. That left Wolfric, and him sending it held just about the same meaning as Holly sending it.

Why, then, was it so vague? It said that she and Wolfric were going abroad for a little while, but it didn't say where. It said there was something important they had to do, but it didn't say what. It said to tell Jason not to let his personal feelings get in the way of the investigation, but it wouldn't say why. Holly and Wolfric _knew_ Jason. Personal feelings wouldn't get in the way, they'd increase his focus and determination. So why were they saying all this? Could they know something May and Jason didn't? If so, did that mean they didn't trust them?

 _No,_ said a firm voice in May's head. _Of course they trust us. There's another reason for them not telling us anything. If they didn't trust us, they wouldn't have bothered to send the text in the first place._

At this moment May heard the front door open. Jason walked into the living room, looking exhausted and, oddly, frustrated. May got up and hugged him. After a long moment of silence, they separated, and May told him about the text.

When she got to the point about them leaving the country, Jason's eyes widened.

"Did they say where they were going?" he asked urgently.

"No."

"We have to text them back," Jason said, patting himself down in search of his phone.

"I got it," said May, preparing to type. "What should I say?"

"Ask them if they're going to Mexico. They don't need to tell us where they are, so long as it's NOT Mexico."

May finished sending the text, then looked up at Jason, confused.

"The guy in charge of the Sally Tilbert case came to my office today. He said he found extra footage from before she disappeared, earlier than any that I had looked at. A man was walking around the apartment complex, checking the locations of the cameras. A man with violet eyes."

The stunned silence that followed was broken by May's phone dinging. She quickly read the response from Holly.

"It's not Mexico." She and Jason both gave a sigh of relief. Then May stiffened.

"You don't think she's lying, do you?"

Jason shook his head. "If they _were_ going to Mexico, they'd want to find out how we knew. I think they're telling the truth."

May nodded in agreement. The two of them collapsed on the couch, worn out. After a few minutes, May spoke again.

"Why do you think they told you to... you know, ignore your personal feelings?"

Jason thought about it, staring at the ceiling. "I'm not sure."


	13. Chapter 13

Holly finished typing the message, then turned her phone off. The last group had finished boarding the plane and they were about to start moving. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Holly knew she should be excited. It was her first time on an airplane, after all. But with everything that had happened, and everything Wolfric had told her, she simply sat in her seat, gazing out the window, thinking about what was to come.

Even when the plane started to move, Holly hardly reacted. She could feel Wolfric's eyes on her, and she turned to face him. He looked concerned. Holly forced a small grin, then took a menu out from the back of the seat in front of her.

"I doubt they'll have fairymead, but we can take a look at their other drinks," she said.

Wolfric gave a small chuckle. Holly's grin broadened.

She asked him about the different No-Maj drinks, their flavors and textures, and Wolfric tried to answer as best he could. A steward came up and Wolfric glanced at his eyes. Green. Wolfric gave an inward sigh of relief, which was almost immediately overshadowed by worry. He had checked everyone he'd passed on the plane; the captain, the pilot, the other passengers. None of them had violet eyes.

There was one woman he noticed that seemed to be doing something similar, looking at people as if she was hoping to recognize someone. But Wolfric had passed her on the way to his seat, and by that time she was sitting quietly, reading a book. Other than that, there had been no signs of anything suspicious. Which meant the violet-eyed assassin was probably still in the US.

 _Don't think about that now,_ Wolfric told himself. _Focus on the task at hand._

Wolfric felt a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll find it, alright?" Holly said, a comforting smile on her face. Wolfric smiled wanly back. Holly kissed him on the cheek and told him to try and get some sleep. Wolfric nodded and closed his eyes, leaning back in his seat. Despite everything that was happening, and the prospect of what they had to do, Wolfric somehow managed to fall asleep almost immediately.

Holly noticed the change in his breathing. She smiled to herself and leaned against his shoulder. She closed her eyes as well, and fell asleep almost as quickly as Wolfric. A few hours later, Holly woke up. She felt a vague prickling on her neck accompanied by a rising sense of foreboding. She looked around and noticed there were no devices out. Several people were snoring loudly. In fact, it seemed everyone on the plane was asleep, all except for one woman a few seats ahead reading a book.

Something was wrong. Holly unbuckled her seat belt as quietly as she could, then leaned past her husband's sleeping form. There was a cart in the aisle with drinks and snacks on it, but nobody near it. In fact, it seemed to be rolling towards the front of the plane on its own. Holly looked out the window and saw the plane was heading down, but there had been no announcement saying they were close to landing. The cart continued to roll, gaining speed. Finally, it slammed into the door to the cockpit with a loud crash.

The passengers continued to sleep. Holly recognized the prickling sensation on the back of her neck now. Magic. Just as this revelation struck her, the woman a few rows ahead snapped her book shut and unbuckled her seat belt. She stood up and walked to the front of the plane. Holly squeezed past Wolfric and followed her as stealthily as possible. She wasn't surprised when she saw the woman take a wand out of her pocket as she walked. Holly drew her own wand.

The woman reached the door to the cockpit, dented slightly from the cart's impact. She waved her wand and vanished the cart itself, along with the scattered snacks and drinks on the floor around it. Then the woman pointed her wand at the door and said "Alohomora." The door unlocked and opened a few inches. The woman entered nonchalantly, then shoved the sleeping body of the pilot out of his chair. Holly saw her reaching towards the controls and made her decision.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Holly shouted, pointing her wand at the woman. Her body froze, her hand inches away from the plane controls. Holly rushed in and grabbed the woman's wand from her other hand. Then she looked over the controls, trying to find something, anything that could help her. She found the switch that said autopilot and flipped it, but then the woman broke free of the spell and leaped on Holly.

She tried to wrench the wands out of Holly's hand, but Holly held fast. The woman headbutted her, then managed to grab her own wand. Before she could cast a spell, Holly punched her in the nose. The woman clutched her face in pain, but still managed to point her wand at Holly. Holly tried to raise her own wand to block the incoming spell, but she was too slow. The force of it hit her in the chest, and she slammed into the wall behind the unconscious co-pilot.

Holly cried out in pain; every inch of her body seemed to be aflame with agony. Through it all she somehow recognized it as the Cruciatus Curse, one of the darkest spells in the world. Just as she thought she'd break under the torture, it suddenly lifted. Holly opened her eyes and saw the woman staring with incredulity at the entrance to the cockpit. Holly saw Wolfric standing there, both his own wand and the woman's in his hand. He waved both and pointed them at the woman, shouting "Stupefy!" The double-spell slammed into her chest, blasting her against the plane's controls. Unfortunately, this must have turned off the autopilot, as the plane started dipping towards the ground once more.

"Wolfric, the pilots!" Holly shouted. He nodded and pointed his wand at one as Holly did the same to the other. "Rennervate!" The pilots eyelids started to flutter as the effects of the sleeping curse were lifted.

"Holly, we have to go! Now!" Wolfric said urgently. He pointed his wand at the woman's unconscious form which started to float behind him as he walked out of the cockpit. Holly followed, expecting him to go back to their seats, but instead he stopped at the hatch. The one that led outside the plane.

Wolfric looked back at Holly. Holly didn't fully understand, but she trusted her husband. She nodded. With that, Wolfric pointed his wand at the hatch, which flew open, causing a loud roar to fill the plane. Wolfric jumped out. Holly braced herself, then followed. The speed at which she fell was incredible. She simply didn't expect it to be so… sudden. Holly fell through the clouds, the cold biting at her skin. She endured it, angling herself downward into a dive. She broke out of the cloud and saw Wolfric below her, the still-unconscious body of the would-be hijacker a few feet behind him. Looking past them, Holly saw a patchwork of land, slowly getting larger as she fell.

She continued to dive until she was almost even with Wolfric. Then she spread her arms and legs out, letting the air push against her, slowing her descent. The ground continued to grow closer and closer. She was almost level with the tops of some trees when Holly forced her arm down, pointing her wand at the ground and shouting "Arresto Momentum!" Her descent immediately slowed, and a few seconds later she landed gently on the ground, feet first. Wolfric had done the same, but he stumbled a bit on the landing. The woman's fall slowed until she came to a stop a few feet off the ground. Then Wolfric let the spell go, letting her fall face first in the dirt.

The couple hugged each other tight. "We almost made it, didn't we?" Holly said.

Wolfric pulled back and grinned. "'Almost' seems a bit of an understatement," he said, pointing behind her. She turned and saw the very thing they left the country for, just a mile or two away.

Stonehenge.


	14. Chapter 14

No leads. Jason sighed in resignation. He didn't want to resort to using the tracer he'd placed on Maria Martinez, but it looked like he had no choice. Jason opened up the laptop he'd gotten for his birthday and opened the folder he'd set up for the tracer's records. Looking at all the audio and locations, he started to realize just how daunting this task would be, even if he skipped over the long stretches of silence when Maria would be sleeping.

"You don't have to do that, you know," May said from over his shoulder.

Jason looked at her questioningly.

"If you open the files like this you can see when things get particularly loud or quiet, then just listen to the suspicious ones first," she explained.

Following her instructions, Jason grinned. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

May just smiled in response.

Jason looked at the graph, which had the frequency and amplitudes of every sound the tracer had picked up since he activated it. There was one part in particular, just a few days ago, that was much louder than the rest. Expecting to hear a music concert, Jason started there.

What he heard instead was Maria Martinez shrieking in agony. Jason quickly rewinded to an hour before the amplitude spiked. The timestamp said it was 2 in the morning local time. Maria seemed to be sleeping peacefully; Jason could just make out the sounds of her lightly snoring. Jason skipped ahead 5 minutes. More snoring. 5 more minutes. More snoring. Another 5. More snoring.

Another 5. The slight creak of a door being opened. A spell, barely more than a whisper, preventing the sound within the room from leaving it. Then… "Rennervate!" Jason could practically see the scenario playing out. Maria's eyes fluttering open, the stunned silence as she saw the shadowy figure standing in front of her, then… there it was. A slight clatter as Maria made a grab for her wand. A snapping sound and a woosh of air as the wand flew through the air towards the man.

"Who are you?" Maria asked.

"The reckoning," said a voice, the voice of the man Jason had dueled with the night of the murders. It wasn't unexpected, but Jason still felt a shiver go up his spine.

"Urk!" Jason heard something thud on the floor. A few seconds later, Maria was gasping for breath. The assailant must have used a spell to start suffocating her before letting it go.

"I will not kill you. That privilege belongs to another. But I can still hurt you. Crucio!"

And then came the shrieks. Jason knew it had all happened days ago, and there was nothing he could do to help. That didn't make listening easier. But he had to do it anyway.

"Who was he?" the man demanded.

"Who was who?!" Maria shouted, the hysteria in her voice clear.

"Crucio!" More shrieks of agony. "The man! The man you spoke with in Miami! _Who was he?!_ "

"I don't know! Someone from MACUSA, I don't know!" Maria was sobbing now.

"Why was someone from MACUSA talking to you? What did you tell him?!"

"Nothing! He was just asking about Sally! Sally Tilbert!"

An eerie silence fell. Then the man shouted with a fierceness Jason hadn't ever heard from him before.

" _Crucio!"_ Maria shrieked louder than ever. When the screams finally stopped, Jason could hear her sobbing.

"What. Was. His. Name?" the deadly softness in the man's voice was even more terrifying than when he was screaming. Jason felt himself boiling with anger. He found himself hoping Maria _would_ tell the man his name. Then he'd come looking for him. And Jason would be ready.

"I don't remember," Maria cried. "Jacob, I think. Jacob something."

"Hmph." The sound of several spells being broken came through the computer. Then a sound like a gunshot, and Maria's continued sobs. The man must have disapparated.

Jason turned to May. Her eyes were filled with horror. Jason got up and hugged his wife. They stood there for several moments. Jason opened his eyes and spoke softly.

"I'm going to kill him."


	15. Chapter 15

"Rennervate!" Wolfric said, pointing his wand at the woman's body. Her eyes fluttered open and she immediately began to struggle against her bonds. Realizing she couldn't break them, she glared at Wolfric and Holly with hatred.

"You wanna do the honors?" Wolfric asked.

"With pleasure," Holly replied.

The woman tried to wriggle away, but Holly forced her on her back, then pinched her nose shut. The woman's mouth opened for air and Holly poured the Veritaserum down her throat, releasing her nose at the same time. The woman sputtered, but the job was done. She wouldn't be able to lie.

"Who are you?" Wolfric asked.

"Sally Tilbert." Wolfric and Holly exchanged a glance.

"Why did you try to crash the plane?" Holly demanded.

"To kill you," Sally said, looking directly at Wolfric.

"Why?" Wolfric asked.

"My master told me to."

"Your master? Does he have purple eyes?"

Sally laughed at this. "You fools. Fen isn't the master. He's an equal. The master is far greater than he could ever hope to be."

"Who. Is. The. Master?" Holly asked, anger clear in her voice.

"Salazar Slytherin." Sally said with a grin.

This time it was Wolfric's turn to laugh. "Is that what he's been telling you?"

For the first time, Sally looked confused. Wolfric turned his back to her.

"Expecto Patronum." A large, silvery wolf sprouted from Wolfric's wand, and Wolfric whispered into its ear. The patronus dashed into the distance.

"The British Ministry should take care of her," Wolfric said, casting a disdainful glance at Sally, still bound by the spell. With that, he and Holly held hands, then apparated away.

They appeared right next to one of the large stones that made up the famous Stonehenge. Wolfric placed his hand on it, feeling the ancient rock beneath his palm. He looked back at Holly, who smiled confidently at him. Wolfric smiled too, then turned to face the stone.

"Let's do this."


	16. Chapter 16

"Expecto Patronum!" Makoto Hideki cried. From his wand sprang a silver jaguar, glowing fiercely against the darkness. But it wasn't enough. Makoto looked around and saw that he was the only one with a corporeal patronus. There were flashes of silver as his fellow students tried to ward off the Dementors, but they were badly outnumbered.

Was this the end? Makoto had worked so hard to excel at Mahoutokoro, yet all his training, his study, his effort; what did he have to show for it? His gold robes wouldn't help him against the Dementors. Was this really the end?

A few meters away from Makoto he saw a student fall to the ground. "Expecto Patronum!" she yelled, panic clear in her voice. A wisp of silver shot from her wand, but it barely slowed down the three Dementors approaching her.

 _No._ "NO!" Makoto shouted. He pointed his wand and willed his patronus towards the three. It slammed into them, blasting them away. With a new determination in his eyes, Makoto turned to the swarm of Dementors. How could he have come so close to giving up? He wouldn't let these fiends hurt his friends, his rivals, or his family anymore.

"Brother…?" Makoto turned to his sister and forced himself to smile.

"It's gonna be ok," he said. He turned back to the Dementors and took a deep breath. He lifted his wand. He didn't think of a happy memory this time. He didn't imagine something joyful. All he did was let his love; for his sister, his friends, his parents, and even the school itself, flow through him, filling him up like a great bright light, until he felt he was shining with power.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Three different jaguars all sprang from Makoto's wand at once, each one glowing with unbelievable power. They surged forwards, warding off the Dementors, scattering them to the winds. The Dementors fled, vanishing from sight, and the sun broke through the clouds, bringing with it the light of hope. Makoto was no longer afraid. The Dementors, on the other hand, were.


	17. Chapter 17

Ebunoluwa was concerned. The headmaster of Uagadou was an intelligent and powerful wizard, but she still questioned his wisdom. True, they hadn't had much trouble finding and expelling the Lethifolds that had invaded the school, but the mere fact that so many of them had gotten in disturbed her. Despite her, and many of her fellow teachers', urging, the headmaster steadfastly refused to contact any of the other wizarding schools in Africa.

Ebunoluwa shook her head and sighed. In any case, it was almost time for class. Normally, she'd be looking forward to reading her students' papers on what kind of animagus form appealed to them the most. But just now, she was too worried to even think about that. It wasn't until a painted hunting dog barked at her loudly that she came back to her senses.

"Yes, Ahmed? What is it?" The dog whined and slowly transformed back into her 12-year-old student.

"Weren't you even a little surprised?" he asked.

Looking down at him, Ebunoluwa felt a surge of sympathy and shame. He was the most talented kid in her class, and she knew he must have worked very hard to become an animagus this early. And here she was, acting like his accomplishment was nothing.

"I'm sorry, Ahmed, I've got a lot on my mind. Good job getting the form down. You'll definitely be getting extra credit for that." She forced herself to smile at him.

For some reason, Ahmed turned his head down and looked ashamed.

"What's wrong?" Ebunoluwa asked.

"He helped me," he whispered.

"Who helped you?" Ebunoluwa asked.

"Grandp-I mean, the headmaster," Ahmed said, looking up at his teacher, tears in his eyes.

"And now, and now, a-and now…." Ahmed put his face in his hands and sobbed.

A feeling of dread filled Ebunoluwa. She almost sprinted off to the headmaster's office right then, but she knew she couldn't leave her student like this. She hugged him tightly, and after a while, his sobs lessened. Ebunoluwa separated herself from him, then knelt down and looked him in the eyes.

"It's gonna be ok," she said. Ahmed sniffled and nodded. He trusted her. "I want you to go to the nurse's office, ok? Find Miss Okafor, tell her what happened. She'll keep you safe."

She watched Ahmed run off, then ran in the opposite direction herself. Past the statue, under the archway, down the stairs she ran. She didn't even stop to cross the bridge over the chasm, she just used her magic to leap to the other side in a single bound. Finally, Ebunoluwa came to the entrance to the headmaster's office. She placed her hand on the wall, and the stone melted away. Ebunoluwa dashed in, running through the twisting, narrow tunnel. Finally, she came to the end. There she saw her fellow teachers gathered around the corpse of Mohammed al-Bani, the headmaster of the largest wizarding school in the world.


	18. Chapter 18

_Maria, Pedro, Lucan, Isabella, Marcos, Sandra._ Their names seemed to flash through Leo's mind as his eyes remained glued to the scene in front of him. His friends' torn and bloody corpses adorned the classroom like something right out of a horror movie.

Lucan's head seemed to have exploded. The only way Leo could tell it was him was by the tattoo on the back of his hand. Isabella looked like she had stumbled back in horror, only to find herself trapped by the blackboard behind her. Maria had run for the exit, as attested to by her body lying face-down in a pool of blood, one hand outstretched in the direction of the door. What Pedro had done, Leo couldn't say. His body was draped across the ceiling fan, which was currently off, or else his blood would be flying everywhere. As it was, it simply dripped steadily downwards, onto the corpse of Marcos, who had tried to fight without a wand, probably after seeing whatever happened to Sandra, whose wand was currently impaled through her eye and out the back of her head.

Besides Leo, only one person lived inside that room, if he could really be called a person. Carlos. His back was turned, or else he would have certainly noticed Leo standing behind him. His shoulders started to shake. At first, Leo thought he was sobbing, but then Carlos burst into hysterical laughter.

Leo felt numb. He couldn't think. He couldn't feel. He barely knew what he was doing. He raised his wand silently, as if in a dream, pointing it straight at Carlos's back.

"Avada Kedavra," he whispered. A flash of green and a rush of wind. Carlos's body dropped to the floor, lifeless. Then it shifted. A tiny voice in the back of Leo's brain seemed to whisper to him urgently. _He's alive!_ it said. _Run!_ But he was frozen in place.

Carlos's robes seemed to darken and decay until they were nothing but gray rags. His skin bubbled and started to turn black. A putrid stench filled the air, but Leo didn't even flinch. In a daze, he stepped over the bodies of his friends and arrived next to the creature on the floor. He kicked it over onto its back with his foot.

There, where Carlos's face should've been, was a dark, gaping hole, surrounded by what looked like floating waves of fabric. The creature that had taken Carlos's place could only be described as a cross between a Dementor and a Lethifold.

Leo wasn't sure why he cared, though. Now it was his turn to die. The voice from before whispered again, but it was weak and faint. _No… don't…._ Leo barely took notice. He brought his wand up, pointing it at himself. _No, you can't,_ the voice said, more strongly now. Leo opened his mouth to say the words.

 _NO!_ The voice shouted, and Leo suddenly recognized it. "Dad?" he whispered. Leo's soul seemed to go somewhere else. His eyes still saw the bloody classroom and his hand holding his wand, his ears still heard the silence that filled the air, he could still smell the iron of blood and the stench of the creature, but his mind was somewhere else.

His father glared at him. _What can I do?_ Leo asked. More glaring. It was the look he'd always given whenever Leo had asked a question he could answer on his own. _The hybrid… no one knows about it but me. It can take people's bodies, their memories, their mannerisms. It can imitate them perfectly. And it loves to kill._ His father nodded, almost imperceptibly. _I need to warn people. I need to warn_ everyone. _Otherwise more will die. But…._ Leo didn't want to think the next part, but the thought entered his mind anyway. _But I want to die. I don't want to live with this pain, this horror, this loneliness. Why can't I just die?_ His father's frown deepened. The word his father had repeated all his life entered the forefront of Leo's thoughts. _Responsibility._ After what seemed like an eternity, Leo nodded. His father's frown broke, and he smiled at his son. Leo could practically feel his father's hand on his shoulder. His father hugged him tightly, and spoke. _It's gonna be ok,_ he said.

And with that, Leo's soul and mind seemed to return to his body. His senses no longer dulled, he nearly gagged at the stench surrounding him. Leo lowered his wand and stood up straight. "I'm going, Dad," he whispered. And Leo left the classroom.


End file.
